Never EVER Give Up

“In the end it will ALWAYS be great and if it’s not great, it’s not the end.” - Jared Yellin

I deeply believe that one of the greatest epidemics in our society is that most people are just too soft.

The moment the going gets tough – do you know what happens? Most don’t get tough.

They cave…

They squander…

They retreat…

Why has this become normal?

Just the other day, I was watching a parent at my son’s basketball game talk with their child. Their exact words were, “Don’t push yourself too hard, just have fun.”

That statement is why our society is soft!

YES, kids absolutely should have fun but NO they should not avoid pushing themselves.

They should exert every ounce of energy while immersing all of themselves to ensure that nothing is left on the field (or the court in this example).

Because that child, who was misinformed, now has a greater chance of falling short in life than my son who I am encouraging to push beyond the point of comfort.

And here’s reality…

Those who push beyond the point of comfort – will eventually experience comfort.

Those who don’t – WON’T!

I’ve written about this on countless occasions but it’s such a critical lesson…

PICK YOUR HARD!

It’s going to be hard…it’s inevitable.

The question you must ask yourself and then answer is…

WHEN?

When will you experience HARD?

NOW

Or 

LATER

Because the NOW hard is ALWAYS less hard than the later hard, because the later hard happens when you are 50, 60, 70, or 80 years old and you “didn’t push yourself” and now when you should be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor – you are laboring…

Maybe your laboring is your health – because you did not “do the hard” in your younger years.

Maybe your laboring is your wealth – because you did not “do the hard” in your younger years.

Maybe your laboring is your relationship – because you did not “do the hard” in your younger years.

All that I know is this…

At some point of your life you will need to choose HARD – my recommendation is choose sooner than later AND…

Never EVER Give Up!

5 Ways To See Through Your Hardship And Into The Soul Of Your Destiny

It’s ONLY a test of ‘how badly you want it’.

I always tell my kids – whatever is challenging you is only testing you to see if you want your outcome badly enough.

And for whatever reason – you may have not heard this as a kid. 

You may have been told that the difficulty was a sign not to continue…

You may have been told that the opposition was not worth overcoming…

You may have been told that the struggle was too hard…

And if you choose to adopt this belief system, I am going to go out on a limb and guarantee you don’t have what you want in life right now. 

EVERY event that seems to be THE reason to quit is actually THE reason to continue.

Do you know why a fraction of 1% of people make it as an athlete, artist, or successful entrepreneur?

Because only a fraction of 1% interpret a challenge as a test whereas the other 99.5% interpret a challenge as a sign to stop.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take my word for it…

EVERY challenge is ONLY a test of ‘how badly you want it.’

You will gain more than your pain…always.

I paid my way through college as a personal trainer for my business school professors. As we began each workout, I would always say the same thing…

You will gain more than your pain…always.

I said this very intentionally because I knew at some point of the session they would want to stop because the “pain became too significant.”

And left to their own devices – they probably would have stopped, but I conditioned them to realize (through repetition and accountability) that their GAINS will always surpass their PAIN as long as they don’t allow their PAIN to WIN!

This mentality applies to EVERYTHING…

From business to dating to your health to your relationships to your parenting. Every moment where you feel physical or emotional pain is a moment where you are growing in ways that you don’t realize and the only way to stifle your growth is to stop because of the pain versus continuing on and experiencing the gain.

Do the exact opposite of what your mind is attempting to have you do.

As humans, we have a primitive brain which is triggered whenever the going gets tough. It’s our fight or flight response, but the key (which I will acknowledge is challenging) is to do the EXACT opposite of what your primitive brain is telling you to do. 

BECAUSE your primitive brain is trying to keep you safe and comfortable, but when you have big ambitions for your life – safety and comfort are the antithesis of what should be driving your decision making. 

When your mind says quit…continue with even more intensity.

When your mind says retreat…extrovert with even more exuberance. 

When your mind says stop…do more.

Your destiny is on the other side of whatever is trying to prevent you from reaching your destiny, which is why you MUST do the exact opposite of what your mind is attempting to have you do.

Regret will always hurt more than battling through.

What keeps me going in the face of adversity is the absolute overwhelming fear of regret.

I would rather risk it all and have nothing than to play it safe, have something, but always wonder.

Maybe I am different from you but the moment before your last breath – only you will know if you gave this life your all.

I am petrified to “wonder” which is why I am monomaniacally driven to achieve all of my destiny and more.  

We all have the ability to control what we GIVE and what we EXPERIENCE and what we STRIVE to accomplish during this life – I hope you take full advantage of this opportunity so that REGRET does not haunt you.

WHAT IF this is YOUR journey.

Finally, when the going gets tough, please realize – THIS is your journey.

You chose this path…

Whatever higher power you believe in KNOWS you can handle whatever you are facing…

So…

Keep on keeping on!

And remind yourself…

WHAT IF this is simply my journey. 

Now What?

This article might be too intense for many and it’s the perfect reminder for those who can handle it but here’s what I know is true…

Your fortitude is a muscle.

And like any muscle – it gets stronger the more you train it, the more you hit it, the more you work it.

The resilience of your fortitude is predicated on how much you are willing to push when everything and everyone is telling you to stop.

If you listen, your fortitude will be weak.

If you ignore, your fortitude will be unstoppable.

But there is another really important realization…

On the other side of whatever is trying to have you fall short of your desire is your desire.

Just picture this…

You are coasting along on a journey and a very large boulder drops down from the sky and demolishes the path you are travelling.

What do you do?

Turn around…

Hunker up in a ball and cry…

Call for help…

Scream WHY ME…

OR…

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE?!?!?!?!

There is no right or wrong but there is only one path to reach your ultimate desire…

And it’s NOT…

Turn around…

Hunker up in a ball and cry…

Call for help…

Scream WHY ME…

But it IS….

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE?!?!?!?!

I will never judge your decision but you will.

You will judge yourself if you know you have more to give.

You will judge yourself if you quit before realizing your greatness.

You will judge yourself if you have chosen to settle in life.

And the most painful judgement you will ever experience is the one coming from YOU!

SOOOOO…

Do what you want with this article but my hope and desire is…

You never EVER give up…

I believe in you always – we go this…

TOGETHER

Live with Intention,